Anyone who watched the Oregon Ducks play the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals could see how dominant they were. Heck, all you needed to see was the final score, as the Ducks held the Red Raiders to zero. Yes, they held teams averaging over 42 points per game to zero heading into the game.
In one of the best defensive performances you’ll ever see, Oregon completely shut down Texas Tech’s rushing attack except for one first-half drive and forced them to pass the ball to quarterback Belen Morton — who was having perhaps the worst day of his career. He was intercepted twice, both by Ducks true freshman cornerback Brandon Finney Jr., and had a sack by edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei, who nearly returned it for a touchdown.
advertise
By the end of the game, it was hard to imagine a better defense in college football. But then the Indiana Hoosiers held Alabama’s explosive passing attack to less than 200 yards and three scores, and the Miami Hurricanes advanced to the semifinals by being more physical than the Ohio State Buckeyes. All three played leading roles on defense.
With the CFP semifinals approaching, let’s take a look at where each team ranks in a few key defensive statistics.
defensive scoring
-
Miami Hurricanes (13.1 points)
total defense
-
Indiana Hoosiers (252.6 games)
-
Miami Hurricanes (285.1 games)
-
Miss Rebellious(340.1 games)
pass defense
-
Indiana Hoosiers (178.9 games)
-
Miss Rebellious(194.0 ypg)
-
Miami Hurricanes (201.1 games)
charge defense
-
Indiana Hoosiers (73.7 games)
-
Miami Hurricanes (84.0 games)
-
Miss Rebellious(146.1 games)
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire Like our page on X (formerly Twitter) Facebook Follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes and opinionss.
advertise
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: How the Oregon Ducks defense ranks in the rest of the CFP field